Patents by Inventor John W. Cullen

John W. Cullen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Inter-facility transport in inventory management and fulfillment systems
    Patent number: 10077155
    Abstract: In an infrastructure that uses a mobile order fulfillment system, robotic drive units may be dispatched and instructed to bring inventory holders to a workstation where at least one of the inventory holders is packed and prepared for shipment. The robotic drive units are then instructed to move the prepared inventory holder to a transport vehicle such as a truck. Fiducial marks may be removably placed within the transport vehicle to aid navigation of the robotic drive units. At a destination facility, additional robotic drive units may be instructed to move the inventory holders from the truck and place the inventory holders at appropriate storage locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Cordell Mountz, Oleksandr Glazkov, Timothy Aaron Bragg, Matthew David Verminski, Jeremiah David Brazeau, Peter R. Wurman, John W. Cullen, Michael T. Barbehenn
  • Collapsible Fabric Pods
    Publication number: 20170238700
    Abstract: Collapsible fabric pods may include a plurality of posts attached to a base and a fabric bin array attached to the plurality of posts, wherein the plurality of posts are displaceable between an upright position and collapsed position. When the plurality of posts are in the upright position, the plurality of posts support the fabric bin array above the base, and when the plurality of posts are in the collapsed position, the plurality of posts are decoupled or displaced and the fabric bin array is in a compressed position on top of the base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2016
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Inventors: Scot Douglas Davis, John W. Cullen, Gregory Delaney, Daniel Robert Deshaies, John M. Tucker, Anne Elliott Veit
  • Inter-facility transport in inventory management and fulfillment systems
    Patent number: 9440790
    Abstract: In an infrastructure that uses a mobile order fulfillment system, robotic drive units may be dispatched and instructed to bring inventory holders to a workstation where at least one of the inventory holders is packed and prepared for shipment. The robotic drive units are then instructed to move the prepared inventory holder to a transport vehicle such as a truck. Fiducial marks may be removably placed within the transport vehicle to aid navigation of the robotic drive units. At a destination facility, additional robotic drive units may be instructed to move the inventory holders from the truck and place the inventory holders at appropriate storage locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Cordell Mountz, Oleksandr Glazkov, Timothy Aaron Bragg, Matthew David Verminski, Jeremiah David Brazeau, Peter R. Wurman, John W. Cullen, Michael T. Barbehenn
  • INTER-FACILITY TRANSPORT IN INVENTORY MANAGEMENT AND FULFILLMENT SYSTEMS
    Publication number: 20150151912
    Abstract: In an infrastructure that uses a mobile order fulfillment system, robotic drive units may be dispatched and instructed to bring inventory holders to a workstation where at least one of the inventory holders is packed and prepared for shipment. The robotic drive units are then instructed to move the prepared inventory holder to a transport vehicle such as a truck. Fiducial marks may be removably placed within the transport vehicle to aid navigation of the robotic drive units. At a destination facility, additional robotic drive units may be instructed to move the inventory holders from the truck and place the inventory holders at appropriate storage locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Inventors: Michael Cordell Mountz, Oleksandr Glazkov, Timothy Aaron Bragg, Matthew David Verminski, Jeremiah David Brazeau, Peter R. Wurman, John W. Cullen, Michael T. Barbehenn
  • INTER-FACILITY TRANSPORT IN INVENTORY MANAGEMENT AND FULFILLMENT SYSTEMS
    Publication number: 20150088302
    Abstract: In an infrastructure that uses a mobile order fulfillment system, robotic drive units may be dispatched and instructed to bring inventory holders to a workstation where at least one of the inventory holders is packed and prepared for shipment. The robotic drive units are then instructed to move the prepared inventory holder to a transport vehicle such as a truck. Fiducial marks may be removably placed within the transport vehicle to aid navigation of the robotic drive units. At a destination facility, additional robotic drive units may be instructed to move the inventory holders from the truck and place the inventory holders at appropriate storage locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Cordell Mountz, Oleksandr Glazkov, Timothy Aaron Bragg, Matthew David Verminski, Jeremiah David Brazeau, Peter R. Wurman, John W. Cullen, Michael T. Barbehenn
  • Inter-facility transport in inventory management and fulfillment systems
    Patent number: 8972045
    Abstract: In an infrastructure that uses a mobile order fulfillment system, robotic drive units may be dispatched and instructed to bring inventory holders to a workstation where at least one of the inventory holders is packed and prepared for shipment. The robotic drive units are then instructed to move the prepared inventory holder to a transport vehicle such as a truck. Fiducial marks may be removably placed within the transport vehicle to aid navigation of the robotic drive units. At a destination facility, additional robotic drive units may be instructed to move the inventory holders from the truck and place the inventory holders at appropriate storage locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Cordell Mountz, Oleksandr Glazkov, Timothy Aaron Bragg, Matthew David Verminski, Jeremiah David Brazeau, Peter R. Wurman, John W. Cullen, Michael T. Barbehenn